The Henglian Mountain range stretches endlessly.
On a rugged mountain path, two sedan chairs float smoothly together at a height of three meters above the ground, gliding forward.
"The ancestors of the Bai Family originate from the Yellow Springs Sect, and like the other thirty-seven villages of Henglian Mountain, all are under the control of the Holy Heart Institute," Bai Xiaoqing introduced.
"However, being under the protection of the Holy Heart Institute requires raising Daoist Soldiers for them."
"Sending our own children and nephews to serve is always a bit unwilling."
"Recruiting external Qi Cultivators to replace them has become a common method for each village to handle the Daoist Soldier conscription," he continued.
Chen Mu listened and nodded slightly, his eyes curiously studying the sedan chair he was sitting on.
"Are you interested in the Earth Traveling Carriage?" Bai Xiaoqing asked with a smile.
"Though it can't rise very high, it travels by harnessing Earth Spirit Energy, making it both efficient and rapid. This sedan chair is indeed interesting," Chen Mu nodded.
"I'll give you one later," Bai Xiaoqing offered with a wave of his hand.
"No, I must ask for your help, so I can't accept your gift. It's too costly."
"You're our honored guest; it's just a small gift," Bai Xiaoqing insisted.
"Then I want two," Chen Mu joked.
"... You're quite straightforward," Bai Xiaoqing sighed.
The two chatted idly and soon arrived at Bai Family Village.
The village sprawled over an extensive land of undulating mountains stretching hundreds of miles.
At the center was a straight peak piercing the clouds, surrounded by several mountain tops. Stilt houses of peculiar design appeared intermittently in the forest.
Streams babbled, birds sang, and flowers bloomed, combining the vitality of the human world with the wonders of nature.
"What a place!" Chen Mu couldn't help but praise.
"Looking at it every day, it's all the same," Bai Xiaoqing dismounted the sedan chair, smiling indifferently.
Chen Mu followed suit, stepping onto the clean stone-paved mountain path.
He then casually stored the sedan chair into the Five Ghosts Bag.
Never mind, it was intended as a gift after all, whether sooner or later makes no difference.
Bai Xiaoqing's mouth twitched as he pretended not to notice, turning to lead Chen Mu towards a small mountain.
Chen Mu leisurely followed, feeling the increasingly dense Earth Spirit Vital Energy, aware that some invisible Mountain Protection Magical Barrier surely existed here.
He glanced at the fat man ahead.
This guy has been lurking in the Bai Family Village for years; who knows what schemes are behind this?
Contemplating briefly, Chen Mu discarded these thoughts.
His purpose here was to successfully reach the Yellow Springs Sect in search of further Qi Refinement heritage, not to meddle in other matters.
As they walked, a chubby fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy approached, head held high.
Bai Xiaoqing smiled wryly, approaching respectfully and bowing, "Third Uncle."
Seniority does not necessarily correlate with age.
"Where did you find such a fool?" the chubby boy glanced at Chen Mu in surprise, asking Bai Xiaoqing, "Didn't you tell him that this year's Daoist Soldier Contract with the Holy Heart Institute will bind him for thirty years?"
If this were an ordinary Qi Cultivator, your words could scare them off with just one sentence!
"No need to concern yourself, Third Uncle, it's already been settled," Bai Xiaoqing gritted his teeth.
"Signing the contract means constantly defending the Earth Vein, always facing the threat of those assassins outside the mountains. Any carelessness could be fatal, yet you're still willing to sign?" the chubby boy looked at Chen Mu as if he were insane.
"As long as I can enter the Yellow Springs Sect, the risk is worth it," Chen Mu replied with a strained smile. Sourceddirectlyfrom*.
"Every year, many Daoist Soldiers go missing from the Holy Heart Institute," the chubby boy sniggered, "Good luck to you."
This arrogant little fatty, quite insufferable.
"The prodigy of the third branch, taught by the Bai Family ancestor from a young age, his personality... well, a bit peculiar," Bai Xiaoqing explained, watching the chubby boy depart.
A prodigy? No wonder.
"Walking with your head held so high, you're bound to trip," Chen Mu remarked with a sly smile.
Right after he finished speaking, the strutting little fatty in the distance suddenly knelt with a thud.
"See, I was right. Walking without watching your step is sure to make you fall," Chen Mu stated confidently.
Bai Xiaoqing's face twitched.
I saw you form the hand seal, and yet you claim he just fell?!
The little fatty, after getting up, fell again.
Bai Xiaoqing watched Chen Mu maintain his spell-casting hand, his eyelids twitching violently.
Messing with my Bai Family right in front of me? It's... quite satisfying.
This little fatty has offended many.
Bai Xiaoqing silently looked away.
Listening to the cries of pain rising and falling in the distance, he turned away, cheerfully walking off.
They hadn't gone far when a streak of Escape Light suddenly descended from the mountaintop, landing before them.
"I wonder which fellow Daoist is present," an elder with white hair and a smooth, baby-like face appeared.
Bai Xiaoqing's body trembled, immediately bowing, "Ancestor!"
His expression remained normal, but cold sweat had already seeped from his back.
Why did the ancestor suddenly appear?!
The young Daoist behind him was sent by his second brother. Now that he's run into the ancestor just upon entering the village, how will he get to the Yellow Springs Sect?
If the ancestor discovered any issues with his identity, his own life could be at risk!
He wanted to signal Chen Mu, but the Bai Family ancestor had achieved Dao Foundation Perfection years ago, and his perception was sharp. At such proximity, he dared not move at all.
"I should have given more instructions knowing I'd meet our ancestor beforehand," Bai Xiaoqing regretted.
Yet, Chen Mu looked relaxed.
"I am Chen Mu," he calmly introduced, bowing, "a Daoist Soldier of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect."
Once my Dao wasn't sufficient, I couldn't do things openly.
But now, having shed the mortal form and achieved Daoist Foundation, why should I still hide while acting?!
"That's quite a distance from here," the Bai Family ancestor expressed some interest.
"A group invasion by Outer Heaven Demons occurred in the Jiao Wood Constellation, causing trouble at the Heavenly Gate, which led me to accidentally land here," Chen Mu sighed, shaking his head, blending truth with fiction about his origins.
The Bai Family ancestor's demeanor became amiable, "Daoist friend, have you come here to...?"
"I heard that Bai Daoist here has a path into the Yellow Springs Sect?" Chen Mu asked directly, not bothering to hide.
"Perhaps for further advancement on the Dao path?" the Bai Family ancestor guessed insightfully.
"Having squandered decades, I've finally formed a Dao Foundation. I was planning to earn Daoist Cultivation to exchange for Spirit Treasure Secret Scrolls, but unexpectedly, a demon crisis arose. I was beyond my control, and thus fell unexpectedly to the ground."
"Given the circumstances, I must seek another way," Chen Mu sighed, feigning reluctance.
The Bai Family ancestor understood, "I do have a way to get to the Holy Heart Institute, but..."
"The Daoist Soldier Contract? That's no problem," Chen Mu shrugged, "I am originally a Daoist Soldier, accustomed to signing contracts and following orders."
"I am Bai Shou," the Bai Family ancestor introduced with a broad smile, "You're welcome to stay a few days at my village. I'll send a message to the Holy Heart Institute shortly."
"The Luodu Academy will certainly be delighted to have you," he continued.
Bai Shou then added apologetically, "I ask for your grace; I am in a crucial stage of my closed-door training. Excuse me for any lack of hospitality."
Saying this, he turned to Bai Xiaoqing, who stood respectfully on the side, "You're Xiaoqing of the fifth branch, right? Take care of our guest."
Bai Xiaoqing agreed promptly.
"Attend to your cultivation, fellow Daoist," Chen Mu responded with little concern.
If he could help him enter the Yellow Springs Sect, that was enough for him; intervening too much would only make him uncomfortable.